Monday, February 9, 2015

Favorite Doll Books

Back in September of 2014, I was asked to speak to our local doll club. At that meeting, I shared some of my favorite doll books that the girls and I have found through the years. Since I did a bit of work researching and summarizing each of the books, I thought it would be fun to share that information with you here. This post has actually been waiting in draft form since October or so. Since I was hoping to get a few posts scheduled to publish during my break from active blogging, I thought it was a great time to share this one with you. :)

For this topic, I purposely only choose books that were about actual dolls who were really alive in some way. In other words, I didn't choose books like the Magic Attic or American Girl series, where the book is about a human girl (such as Samantha or Molly or Caroline) who had a doll fashioned after her. I hope that makes sense.

Most of these are fun little obscure books, not necessarily award winners. However, every book I chose for this post had something special that I enjoyed. I hope through this post you and/or your kids will be able to find some fun new treasures for your family library. :)

Beneath each book, I've included a list of the main characters. Some of the characters have brief descriptions, while others are simply listed. I decided to keep the lists as they were (especially since it's been a while and I couldn't remember specific details about each character). I suppose if you're curious about the characters I didn't describe, you'll just have to read their books! ;)

Henriette, The Story of a Doll

Written By: Tracy Friedman

Originally Published:
1986

Summary: Set shortly
after the Civil War, this story focuses on the adventures of a French
doll who goes on a quest to find her mistress's granddaughter.

Characters:

-Henriette: the doll who
goes on a long journey to find the little girl she belongs to.

-Amanda: a young orphaned
girl who is separated from her only relative.

-Amanda's Grandmother: an
elderly woman who wants nothing more than to be united with her
granddaughter, but feels she is too old and her plantation too run
down to raise her the way she needs to be raised.

Unique to This Story: This book covers the perils a doll might face when traveling a great distance
without a human. It's a story I discovered as a young girl, and I instantly fell in love with brave Henriette. :)

Summary: A personal
account from a little wooden doll's perspective of her first 100
years of life and all of the things she experiences.

Characters:

-Hitty and many others ;)

Unique to This Story:
This story is told from Hitty's perspective and is written in the
style of a memoir. It features all sorts of mishaps and adventures
that Hitty goes through during the course of her life.

Summary: Raggedy Ann
is the beloved rag doll of a little girl named Marcella (based on
Johnny Gruelle's own daughter). Together with her other friends from
the nursery, she has all sorts of adventures and learning experiences
when Marcella is away or asleep.

Characters:

-Marcella

-Raggedy Ann

-Raggedy Andy

-The Camel with the
Wrinkled Knees

-Uncle Clem

-The Indian Doll

-The French Doll

-Henny

Unique to This Story:
The sweet, innocent adventures of Marcella's playthings in her
nursery (usually when she is away) remind us of the way we always
imagined our dolls to be when we weren't looking. The stories have
special poignancy because of the death of the real Marcella.

You can find many of Johnny Gruelle's Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy books on Amazon.com HERE.

The Doll Hospital

Written By: James Duffy

Originally Published:
1989

Summary: Alison is
an eight-year-old girl who suffers from a serious illness. She starts a doll hospital, and with the help of her older brother and her
faithful companions Nettie, Boodles, and Denise, cares for dolls with
all sorts of illnesses and injuries.

Characters:

-Alison: The main
character who regularly talks to her dolls and toys (and they talk
back).

-Charlie: Alison's fourteen-year-old brother who serves as the doctor for the doll hospital.

-Nettie: Alison's rag
doll who is outspoken and opinionated.

-Boodles: Alison's
stuffed dog.

-Denise: A French doll
who is given to Alison by a friend of her brother. Denise is the
first doll in need of medical assistance. Her illness is what gives
Alison the idea for the doll hospital.

Unique to This Story:
In this story, the dolls suffer from real illnesses like measles.
Unlike many other doll stories, in this one the dolls can communicate
with Alison and even talk to her older brother. However, from the
writing style it could also be interpreted that Alison is imagining
everything (I choose to ignore that possibility). ;) Through helping
the dolls with their illnesses, Alison is able to face her fears
about her own illness.

Summary: A family of
dollhouse dolls play an integral part in catching some robbers who
have come to the house to steal the family's belongings.

Characters:

Dolls

-Mr. Dollhouse

-Mrs. Dollhouse

-Ruth

-Todd

-Baby

Humans

-Kevin

-Harry

-Peter

-Mother

-Father

Unique to This Story:
The children in the family are all boys, so there are some hilarious
references to the way boys play with dollhouses. In this book, the
dollhouse is only brought out around Christmastime. Also, the dolls
are not able to move by themselves until the humans are in
bed.

Summary: Annabelle,
a miniature antique doll, lives in a dollhouse with her family,
wondering about her Aunt Sarah who went missing years ago.
Annabelle's life changes forever when she meets Tiffany Funcraft, a
plastic dollhouse doll purchased for the younger girl in the house. These books recount the two dolls' adventures and the beginning of their wonderful friendship.

Characters:

Dollhouse Dolls:

-Annabelle Doll

-Bobby Doll

-Auntie Sarah

-Uncle Doll

-Nanny

-Mama Doll

-Papa Doll

-Baby Betsy

Funcraft Dolls

-Dad Funcraft

-Mom Funcraft

-Tiffany Funcraft

-Bailey Funcraft

-Baby Britney Funcraft

Humans

-Grandma Katherine

-Mr. Palmer

-Mrs. Palmer

-Kate (third grader)

-Nora (preschooler)

Unique to This Story:
The author's explanation of why dolls don't move when we're around
is particularly clever (Doll State and Permanent Doll State). The Dollhouse dolls have a gigantic baby doll instead of a doll in their scale because
the wrong one was ordered for them, but they love her anyway.

These books feature
fantastic, detailed artwork on inset covers, showing the order
catalogs for the dolls featured in the stories. They also have very
funny passages contrasting the way older girls and younger girls play
with a dollhouse (“rancher family”).

Summary: A unique
family of dollhouse dolls, belonging to two sisters, wants nothing more
than a home. When they end up with a beautiful dollhouse, it seems
like a dream come true...until they meet the doll that comes with it.

Characters:

Human

-Emily

-Charlotte

Dolls

-Mr. Plantaganet: The
father of the dollhouse, still dealing with a traumatic past.

-Birdie Plantaganet: The
mother of the dollhouse, a celluloid doll who is a bit of an airhead.

-Tottie: An antique
wooden doll, the daughter of the dollhouse.

-Apple: An adorable
plush doll, the little brother of the dollhouse.

-Marchpane: A haughty
antique doll who feels that the Plantaganets have taken her house
from her.

Unique to This Story:
Mr. Plantaganet's emotional issues are hilarious yet perfectly
understandable considering the way he started his doll life. All of
the dolls have unique personalities that make them lovable and
memorable. The story also has a part that might be a bit difficult
for younger readers, demonstrating the sacrificial love of a mother.

In this story, the dolls
often talk to the humans, but it is implied that the humans can't
hear them.

The conflict between the
doll family and the snooty Marchpane is resolved very cleverly.

Summary: The
adventures of a little cloth doll and the stuffed bears that come to
live with her.

Characters:

-Edith

-Mr. Bear

-Little Bear

Unique to This Story:
Dare Wright's beautiful photography that captures Edith and the
bears in the act of the story. ;) Her pictures lend an incredibly believable quality to her stories. Edith was a customized 22”
Lenci doll from the 109 series released in the 1920s. Source here:
http://www.lenci-dolls.net/article.html

Summary: A Christmas
Doll and an orphaned girl both get their Christmas wish: each other.

Characters:

-Holly-a sweet little
Christmas doll in a toy shop window.

-Ivy-a lonely orphaned
girl.

-Mr. Blossom-the toy shop
owner.

-Abracadabra-a rather
spooky stuffed owl who is also at the toy shop.

-Peter-Mr. Blossom's
helper.

-Mr. Jones-a friendly
policeman.

-Mrs. Jones-Mr. Jones'
wife, who is particularly wishing for a child this Christmas.

Unique to This Story:
A sweet story about a Christmas doll and a little orphan girl who
need each other, and the events of one special Christmas that bring
them together. Barbara Cooney's beautiful, wistful illustrations are an enchanting addition to the book.

Summary: A little
girl named Gail inherits a family dollhouse, and with the help of the
dolls in the dollhouse, she discovers the secret to her family's
long-lost fortune.

Characters:

Human

-Gail Aldrich-the little
girl who has inherited the dollhouse from her family

The Dollhouse Dolls

-Sir Gregory: The father
of the dollhouse dolls, made of bisque (as is the rest of his
family).

-Lady Alice: Sir
Gregory's wife.

-Maribelle: Sir Gregory
and Lady Alice's daughter.

-Tommy: Sir Gregory and
Lady Alice's son.

-Baby Winky: The baby
girl in the doll family.

-Becky: A cloth doll who
is the maid.

-Martinique: A wooden
doll purchased by Gail's great-great grandfather on one of his
voyages.

Unique to This Story:
Much like “The Doll People”, the dolls in this story have been
handed down through generations, so there are many references to the
trials of being passed to some children who are careless or wild, as
well as the trials of being older dolls and having one's clothing and
home fall into disrepair.

In this story, the dolls are
capable of anything their young mistresses imagine (for instance, if
the girls pretend they can cook, the dolls have the ability to cook).

Throughout the book, there
are curious references to the dolls “vapors”, which are used to
express feeling or emotion.

Dear Beastsbelle,When I was growing up, I absolutely loved stories about dolls, especially dolls that came to life or were sentient in some way. Even though I'm an adult now, I still like to pull out my old books and reread my favorite parts if I've had a bad day. So it was a lot of fun going through your post and seeing how many books I had read or recognized. I was thrilled to find The Doll Hospital on your list. Although I haven't read it since grade school, I still remember how much I enjoyed that book. When The Dolls Woke was another favorite of mine, but did you know that Marjorie Filley Stover wrote a prequel to this story titled Midnight In The Dollhouse. I didn't realize there was another book until I stumbled across a copy in a thrift store years ago. It is definitely worth seeking out if you enjoyed the original. I was also happy to see that you had two Rumer Godden books on the list. However, The Doll's House is probably my least favorite of this author's 'doll' books. My favorite Rumer Godden story featuring dolls is a less well known book called Home Is The Sailor. The plot is difficult for me to sum up succinctly, but it involves a family of dolls living in a dollhouse who over the years have lost some of their doll family members. I will also tell you that it has a very happy ending. My second favorite Rumer Godden work would have to be Miss Happiness And Miss Flower, which is about two Japanese dolls. There is also a sequel to Miss Happiness And Miss Flower called Little Plum, but I didn't enjoy that one as much. Before I sign off, I'd like to leave one more recommendation. Although best known for The Secret Garden and A Little Princess, author Frances Hodgson Burnett also wrote a charming story about dolls in a dollhouse called The Racketty-Packetty House.Thank you for the trip down memory lane.Sincerely, Treesa

Wow, I had absolutely no idea that there were so many children's books written about living dolls! Many of these sound quite interesting--I should browse the shelves of the children's sections of the two closest local libraries and see what they have in this vein.

I've read quite a few nonfiction doll and dollhouse books over the years but nothing like these. The two closest things that I can think of that I have read are The Indian in the Cupboard and a short story by Stephen King, “Battleground”, involving a tin of army men that come to life to take revenge upon the professional assassin who terminated the owner of the toy company that made them.

I also found it refreshing that you chose to write about a different aspect of toys/dolls than you usually do.

I just want to mention first, that I LOVE this blog! Second, I have always loved to read along with my love for dolls and as soon as I saw this post it made me feel so warm and fuzzy! I just want to mention a novel that I always loved to read when I was little called "Amy's Eyes" by Richard Kennedy. It's about a little girl in an orphanage who has a doll that comes to life and all the adventures that follow including a ship sailed by dolls that are brought to life and her becoming a doll. It's fantastic!

Hi everyone! I've been enjoying hearing all of your thoughts on this post. I'm so glad you've been enjoying it! :)

Since I had a little spare time today, I thought I'd stop by and respond to some comments. :)

Natasha Marie, it sounds like we have a lot of the same favorites. :) Thank you so much for sharing about the other books. I'm going to have to look for those! :D

Glad you enjoyed the post. It's always nice hearing from you! :)

Thanks, Jan. Glad you enjoyed it. :) It sounds like I need to find "Memoirs of a London Doll" for myself! ;)

Hi Treesa! I'm so glad this post was enjoyable for you! :) Like you, I still love reading these books as an adult. It reminds me of what it feels like when you're a kid and your dolls and toys feel real to you. ;)

I hadn't heard about the prequel to "When the Dolls Woke", but several of you have mentioned it, so I think I'll have to look it up! ;)

I'd also love to find some of the other Rumer Godden books you mentioned. I love her writing. :) And I had no idea that Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote a doll book, too! My girls and I love "A Little Princess" and "The Secret Garden"!

I'm moving on to a second comment since Blogger doesn't like me posting really long ones. ;)

You're welcome, Aileen. The Doll People series ranks among my top favorite doll-themed books. They're very cleverly written, and are fun books to read aloud with your kiddos. :)

I hope you find some of them, Farrah Lily! :) I've found a lot of these in thrift stores and things, too, so you might check there after the library if you find some you like. :)

Hi Anonymous! It seems like several of you enjoyed Midnight in the Dollhouse. I'll have to check it out. :)

Hi J! I'm eager to read these books too! :)

Hi Nina! Glad you enjoyed some of these, too. :)

Hi Mark! :) I'm glad I was able to introduce you to these books. I hope you're able to find some of them. :)

I thought about including "The Indian in the Cupboard", too, but at the last minute decided to stick to books about dolls in particular (as opposed to figures). I remember really enjoying "The Indian in the Cupboard" as a kid, though. :)

I know I tend to get stuck in a rut with the types of posts I do, so I was definitely looking for a fresh angle for this post. Glad you enjoyed it. :)

Hi Kailey! I hope you do try some of these. :) I'm sure you'd love them!

Hi mystrygirl87! Glad you enjoyed the post. I'm definitely adding Miss Happiness, Miss Flower, and Midnight in the Doll House to my list of books to find. I can't ignore so many good recommendations! ;)

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About Me

I'm a stay-at-home mom with 3 little girls, happily married for 13 years to my high school sweetheart, and most importantly, a Christian. I love singing in my church, spending time with my family, and fixing up TLC dolls. I'm also hoping to eventually become a published author, but we'll see what the Lord has planned.
The other blog contributors on my team are Tess, Maggie, and Emma, my 18" dolls who write on "Jane Austen and Unicorns" about their adventures, and Belle, my 12" Disney fashion doll who shares her life stories on "Belle's Bulletins".